A young boy has raised a small fortune for his favorite waiter after hearing about the man’s struggles.
8-year-old Kayzen Hunter met 29-year-old Devonte Gardner at the Waffle House in Little Rock, Arkansas, where the boy’s family eats breakfast at weekends.
Kayzen has since his first encounter with Devonte grown fond of the waiter, and he always asks to be seated in the portion of the restaurant that is covered by the young man.
Recently, however, Kayzen learned that the waiter who “treats everyone with kindness” has run into some personal trouble after being forced to leave his apartment due to molds and rat infestation.
After finding out that Gardner and his family, including his wife and their two young children, were living in a motel from which he had to work for several miles just to get to work every day, the 8-year-old boy decided to step in and launch a fundraiser for his favorite waiter.
“Hi, my name is Kayzen, I am 8 years old. I am wanting to raise funds for my friend, Devonte, who I met and have come to know from eating breakfast at Waffle House. Devonte is a hard-working dad with two little girls and a wife,” the boy wrote in his GoFundMe post.
“He is a dedicated worker and has to walk or get a ride to get to work every day. He was looking for a decent priced car, and his family was unfortunate and ended up in an apartment riddled with black mold. He had to get his kids out and it set him back a lot.
“We are now helping him get into a clean rental property and want to help him even more by raising funds so he has a reliable vehicle to drive his family and get to and from work.
Devonte is one of the most joyous and positive people you’ve ever met!! He always greets us with the biggest smile. I hope your heart is as BIG as mine and you will help me spread kindness in the world. Any amount helps!!”
The heartwarming post has since racked up over $43,000 in donations, allowing Gardner to purchase a new car and pay for his family’s apartment for one year.
Meanwhile, the boy’s mother revealed that her persistent son wouldn’t give up on the idea of helping out his favorite waiter after finding out about his struggles.
“He kept saying, ‘We have to start a GoFundMe and help Devonte get a car.’ He didn’t give up on it. He’s a kid with a big heart,” the mother, Vittoria, said.
Speaking to the Washington Post was also Gardner who admitted that the act of kindness left him in tears.
“I started crying – I’d been quietly struggling and didn’t want to ask anybody for anything,” he said.
“We had to give up most of our belongings because of the mold, but we’re slowly working our way back. Even when you can work double shifts, it’s hard to get ahead. I’m thankful to have a job that I enjoy, but it’s hard to save enough to improve my family’s situation.”
The hardworking young man continued: “I love working at Waffle House because I have an opportunity to make people feel good every day. I love the people who come in, especially Kayzen. For this little guy to do this out of the kindness of his heart is really humbling.”
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